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Small city

Living in South Lake Tahoe, CA

South Lake Tahoe is a small city of 21,269 people in El Dorado County, California. It's about 20 miles from Carson City, NV and 84 miles from Sacramento, CA, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 80°F and winter highs 42°F, with about 52 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $682k and rent runs about $2k a month.

21,269people
$682kTypical home
$1,606/moRent
80° / 42°Summer / winter
52"Snow
302Sunny days
77Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Small city of 21,269
  • Its own small hub, not a suburb
  • About 2,113 people per sq mi
  • 84 mi to Sacramento, CA
  • 20 mi to Carson City, NV
  • Has its own stores and services

Money

  • Typical home $682k (≈$4,303/mo)
  • Median rent $1,606/mo
  • Median household income $82k
  • Property tax about 0.6% of value
  • 4.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 80°F
  • Winter highs around 42°F
  • Dry summers (dew point 35°F)
  • 302 sunny days a year (160 totally clear)
  • 63 cloudy days a year
  • 27 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 77 days a year with rain or snow
  • 52" of snow a year
  • 12 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 21 nights a year below 10°F
  • Usually calm

Safety

  • Above-average violent crime (676 per 100k)
  • Low property crime (1,298 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 41
  • 22% of households have kids
  • 18% are 65 or older
  • 36% have a college degree
  • Mixed community
  • 8% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 18 min
  • 8% walk or take transit to work
  • 28 mi to TKF airport
  • 41 mi to RNO (major hub)
  • 30 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 68% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1973
  • 91% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Mountain country
  • Elevation 6,296 ft
  • 102 mi to the ocean
  • 1 mi to a big lake
  • 3 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 2 mi to the nearest ski area
  • Campground in town
  • 20 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 213 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 29 bars within 25 mi
  • 49 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 16 museums within 25 mi
  • 7 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 20 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the top 48% of California districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 6 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 43 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • Vet in town
  • 17 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 3 congregations per 10k people
  • 34 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • El Dorado County: R+12 in 2024
  • California: D+20 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • Very low hurricane risk
  • Very low tornado risk
  • High wildfire risk
  • High earthquake risk
  • Very low flood risk
  • High drought risk
  • High winter storm risk
  • Low heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near South Lake Tahoe

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